The abrupt spread of COVID-19 has resulted in a global pandemic that has claimed millions of lives so far. This unprecedented health emergency has taken a toll on the economy of millions of individuals and families worldwide. The pandemic has also impacted the educational systems of many countries as it forced educational institutions to change their teaching and learning strategies. This chapter aims to provide an answer to four main research questions: the issues Moroccan and Mexican teachers faced in resorting to distance learning, what coping strategies teachers used in both countries, what policies and procedures were implemented in distance learning by the Moroccan and the Mexican governments, and finally, if there were any infrastructure issues reported in both countries with regard to the adoption of distance learning during the outbreak of the pandemic and the future prospects for the post-pandemic. The answers to these questions were sought by using both quantitative and qualitative data collected from teachers of whom 150 were Moroccan and 196 were Mexican.
This review provides new insights to direct policymakers in the fields of higher education, especially with regard to students' mental health. Despite the current scarcity of published original researches about the COVID-19 impacts on mental health, lessons can be learned. Hopefully findings would help students to embrace the pandemic new experience so that they could engage more in learning and be safer. Specifically, the bottom line is how to balance between prioritizing student safety, managing mental health conditions, and long-term academic success of our students.
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